About Rob Rainer

Controls, automation, scientific facilities, data sciences, and engineering leadership grounded in more than 20 years of hands-on technical experience.

Engineering Leadership & Experience

Profile Picture

Iā€™m Rob Rainer, a scientific facilities and controls leader with more than 20 years of experience spanning private industry and U.S. national laboratories. My work sits at the intersection of accelerator and instrumentation control systems, EPICS-based infrastructure, software architecture, and operational reliability.

I hold a Bachelor of Science in Physics and a Master of Science in Engineering, providing a strong foundation in both theoretical principles and applied engineering practice. This combination has enabled me to design, modernize, and lead complex control systems across accelerator facilities and advanced X-ray microscopy platforms.

Throughout my career, I have led efforts to modernize legacy control systems, transition critical infrastructure to secure virtualized environments, and introduce advanced automation and AI-assisted workflows. I have contributed to multidisciplinary projects at Brookhaven, Oak Ridge, Argonne, and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratories, and I continue to collaborate across industry and research environments.

I am passionate about mentoring engineers and building strong technical teams, with a leadership style rooted in hands-on engineering, clear system ownership, and long-term maintainability. Outside of work, I support environmental and humanitarian causes and value thoughtful, ethical approaches to technology and leadership.

Representative Critical Systems (EPICS-Based)

Over the course of my career, I have held technical ownership and leadership responsibility for several mission-critical systems supporting accelerator operations:

Professional Journey

My career has evolved across materials science, accelerator operations, and large-scale control system architecture, with a consistent focus on reliability, performance, and operational clarity.

I began my professional career as a scientist turned Laboratory Supervisor at Structure Probe Inc, affiliated with West Chester University of Pennsylvania. While there I conducted advanced electron microscopy research for my undergraduate thesis in Transmission Electron Microscopy techniques. After earning my Bachelor of Science in Physics in 2007, I joined a materials R&D laboratory focused on solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) and photovoltaic technologies.

In 2010, I joined Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), initially supporting NSLS-I operations as an accelerator operator and operations coordinator. During this period, I completed my Master of Science in Engineering. I supported beamline operations, coordinated experiments, and later contributed to the commissioning of NSLS-II, including EPICS GUI development, injector and storage ring commissioning, and operations center infrastructure leading up to First Light.

In 2020, I joined the NSLS-II Accelerator Controls Group, taking ownership of multiple mission-critical systems. I led efforts to modernize cybersecurity practices, transition controls infrastructure to virtualized platforms, and introduce AI-assisted tools for diagnostics, automation, and fault detection, resulting in improved reliability and operational efficiency.

I later joined Osprey DCS, supporting control system development and EPICS integration across multiple national laboratories, including ongoing work at BNL and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL). This included contributions to the ALS-U upgrade, where I supported the deployment of EPICS-based IOCs and GUIs for advanced Power Supply Controllers (PSCs).

Most recently, I served as Director of Controls & Electrical Engineering for an advanced X-ray microscopy organization through its transition into Applied Materials. I led system architecture, technical direction, and delivery across controls, electrical engineering, precision motion, instrumentation, and resilient computing infrastructure.

Publications & Writing

Peer-Reviewed Publications

I have co-authored peer-reviewed publications in accelerator physics and controls, primarily arising from my work on beam diagnostics, lattice characterization, and machine learning applications at NSLS-II. A full list is available on my ResearchGate profile, including:

Technical Essays & Commentary

Separate from peer-reviewed research, I write occasional technical essays exploring cross-domain engineering parallels and current topics in controls and systems engineering. These are personal commentary, not peer-reviewed research, but are researched and sourced to the same standard of rigor.

šŸ‘‰ Visit the Articles section to read them, including a personal reflection on fifteen years in accelerator controls and what published research does and doesn't capture about the work.

Reasons to Connect